See early voting results for Houston City Council, District C runoff election

Updated 10:32 a.m.

Joe Panzarella has secured the seat for District C.

With all voting centers reporting, the Fourth Ward Superneighborhood president garnered 64.72% of the votes, or 6,415 votes, against fellow candidate Nick Hellyar. Hellyar received 35.28% of the votes, or 3,497, according to unofficial results.

All results are unofficial until canvassed.

Posted May 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Early voting results show that Joe Panzarella is leading over Nick Hellyar in a runoff election for the District C seat on Houston City Council.

Panzarella has garnered 4,055 votes, or 61.64% of the vote, according to the Harris County Clerk’s Office. Opponent Nick Hellyar trails behind with 2,523 votes, or 38.36% of the vote.

Currently, 0 of the 20 voting centers in the election have reported full results. All results are unofficial until canvassed. Some background

District C is a densely populated urban area that represents over 215,000 residents and covers the Heights, Washington Avenue, Montrose, Rice Village and Meyerland neighborhoods.

The City Council seat became up for grabs after current council member Abbie Kamin announced her intention to run for Harris County attorney in early 2026.

Joe Panzarella and Nick Hellyar emerged from a seven-candidate race in April, rising as the top two contenders. The early election period saw 6,579 early voters during a 14-day stint. According to unofficial totals from the Harris County Clerk's Office, approximately 5,491 votes were cast in person at six different polling locations.

Meet the candidates

Joe Panzarella is president of the Freedman's Town Superneighborhood and lists his top three priorities as constituent services, street safety projects and protecting residents from ICE overreach.

Nick Hellyar is a real estate broker and small business owner. His campaign ran on problem-solving, investing in infrastructure, prioritizing all modes of transportation, public safety and support of first responders.

To read more about each candidate, visit Community Impact’s candidate Q&A.

Something to note

The winner of the runoff will serve on City Council until January 2028.